My apartment felt a bit depressing after the warmth of Llewellyn's place.
Ah, well.
Penguin and I slept until early afternoon when I got up (still very groggy), made coffee, and was welcomed by a System reminder that I hadn't raised my stats since Mondwyn Harbor.
Those stats were something Llewellyn and I had not shared, but that was probably for the best. I could only update my CRIT, ATK, and DEF stats every ten days and I'd only done it once so far. He'd been refining his for at least seven years, so the comparison would have been brutal. I took care of it quickly.
Speaking of which.
The memory of Llewellyn's level and of Tent Guy's insane Magic made me think it was time to use the Core Partition properly.
"How do you feel about spending some time in the Core Partition?" I asked Penguin.
I had quite a few things to do, to be honest. My grocery levels were… nonexistent at this point; I really needed to go to the store. And I should clean the house somewhat and do laundry—including Llewellyn's clothes, which I needed to return soon. And I was on shift tonight too.
Still, if I wanted to keep up with Llewellyn, and make sure I'd be able to keep him alive, especially if there was a chance we could face more people like Tent Guy, my daily hour in the Core Partition would have to take precedence from now on—whether I actually did something in there or just napped.
Penguin chirped from his spot on my chest, seeming interested in the idea.
"Alright, then."
I called the System and asked it to get us into the Core Partition.
A moment later we stood in my personal luxury library.
Penguin immediately transformed into a sugar glider and climbed up the library shelves, chittering excitedly at the flying dusters.
Ah, I really liked this place. I supposed it was not a surprise since the System had analyzed my preferences to build it, but still. Just standing here felt amazing.
I checked the time and wandered over to browse the books while Penguin explored.
A few books had caught my attention last time. I tried to find them again.
There. Breath and Bone: Elemental Foundations in Martial Flow. That seemed like a good place to start.
I pulled it out and flipped through the pages. Perfect.
I carried the book to the bedroom, kicked off my shoes, and climbed onto the bed, propping myself up against the pillows and opening to the first page.
The first chapter opened with a human figure standing in different stances, each labeled with an Element.
"Elements are not foreign forces acting upon the body." I read. "Nor are they summoned or evoked through the body, even though it appears so. The practitioner must understand that, rather, the Elements—as well as flesh, bones, and even breath—arise from Magic itself, merely expressing itself in different ways within the broader Magic field."
I shifted against the pillows, intrigued.
"Consider the following Earth stance. The practitioner does not 'channel Earth through the body', as crude texts suggest, nor do they 'breathe the qualities of Earth into existence', as also often erroneously suggested. Instead, they recognize that Elemental Earth is already present in the Magic field and give it focus and space, allowing it to permeate and express more fully whenever needed. The Earth stance emerges naturally when this recognition occurs, with breath changing accordingly."
Huh.
Wait, was this what Instinctive Permeability in my stats meant?!
Woah.
Looked like I might have some sort of advantage here, even though I wasn't exactly sure how yet.
A detailed illustration showed the subtle differences—how the spine naturally straightened, how the shoulders settled back without conscious effort.
I kept reading. The next sections went through the same principle for each of the other Elements.
"A common error is attempting to 'fill' the body with an Element. This creates resistance, as it assumes an imposition on the practitioner—a separation from Magic even—where none exists. The seasoned practitioner simply notices which Elements are needed, recognizes them in the Magic field and allows them to unfold."
I wondered: was this about stance only? Or was this also how Llewellyn could wield all the Elements?
That would be incredibly cool.
If I indeed had some sort of instinctive permeability, based on what I'd just read, wouldn't that mean that there was a chance I could use all the Elements as well?
I kept reading.
"Advanced practitioners report that prolonged practice dissolves the sensation of 'using' Elements entirely. As one Master stated: 'I no longer wield Fire—I simply remember that I have always been burning.'"
...Damn. Okay, that gave me chills.
I hadn't been this excited since playing Elemental Stage for the first time!
Could I reach the same level as that Master? With Water, at least?
Penguin had climbed onto my stomach, peering at the book with interest, before curling into a warm ball, his tiny face trying to scan the page.
"This one's about using Elemental Magic to facilitate physical movement," I explained, turning the page to show him a diagram. "See? 'Water users can enhance their abilities and fluidity in movement by finding how the Water Element is already present in the Magic Field—"
Penguin chirped in agreement.
Was this how it worked for him as well, maybe?
I still wasn't sure how that wasn't summoning, though. Even if I found or recognized the Element in the field, wouldn't that require me to channel it somehow?
I started explaining this aloud to Penguin, but a yawn cut me off mid-sentence. I blinked, trying to focus on the text, but the words were starting to blur.
Ah, I really hadn't slept enough.
The bed was too comfortable, and Penguin's warmth spread through me.
"Maybe just... a quick nap," I said, carefully placing the book on the nightstand.
According to the System, I'd absorb its contents while sleeping anyway, so… win-win.
I moved Penguin gently for a moment, placing him on the pillow so I could slide under the covers, and let my eyes close. Penguin chirped, then scampered down to curl into my chest.
I smiled.
The Core Partition's Magic hummed around us, feeling oddly comforting and safe. The thought occurred to me that I'd felt this safe... maybe never.
Anyway, the point was, this was nice.
I couldn't wait to learn more about combat too.
The last thing I registered was the faint scent of polished wood and old books before sleep pulled me under.
***
If I'd been worried I'd be forcefully and uncomfortably ejected from the Core Partition at the end of the hour, that fear ended up being unfounded. The awakening was actually more gradual and quite nice.
After a notification about the time available running out, Penguin and I dragged ourselves up and were teleported back to my flat.
I mostly felt the same as before the nap, but something about the movement of Magic in my body felt different, even though I wasn't exactly sure what.
More importantly, though, now that I knew the content of the book, I was suddenly aware of the Magic Field all around me, which I hadn't been before. It extended everywhere and in all directions, buzzing with power, but it didn't feel like it had any kind of… will, which was a bit weird. Just endless power humming all around, dormant.
I'd definitely have liked to spend more time in the Core Partition, but this was incredibly cool too. In fact, it didn't feel very dissimilar.
One thing I did regret, though, was not asking the Core Partition to get us some food.
I sighed and looked at Penguin.
"We need groceries," I told him. "And some snacks for you, too. Want to come to the store?"
Penguin chittered excitedly, transforming into a sugar glider, running up my arm and onto my shoulder.
I didn't feel like going out, but I really couldn't put this off any longer.
I equipped concealment artifacts, one for me and one for Penguin, and we left for the store.
Thankfully, they worked properly this time. Penguin stayed hidden in my hood, occasionally poking his head out to inspect items.
"What about these?" I held up a bag of freeze-dried mango slices. He sniffed at it, then chittered.
We worked our way through the snack aisle like that.
I grabbed a few different types of snacks—chips, nuts, dried seaweed, some chocolate bars. Penguin watched everything with interest, occasionally making soft chittering sounds when I held something up for his inspection.
"Sweet or savory?" I asked, holding up cookies in one hand and roasted corn in the other.
Penguin stared at them, chittering questioningly.
Right. He'd literally never tasted any of this.
I put both in the basket.
In the produce section, I picked up some fruit—apples, grapes, a few oranges.
Penguin's nose twitched at the smell but he didn't seem particularly excited about any of them. Same reaction to the vegetables.
"We'll just have to experiment," I said, adding carrots to the basket. Maybe he'd like the crunch.
A woman passed by with her cart, glancing at me talking to myself.
Ah, damn it. I pretended to be checking a shopping list on my phone.
I needed to remember to wear earpods next time, so I could pretend to be on a call.
The whole thing didn't take long.
The cashier barely looked up as she scanned my items and Penguin remained perfectly hidden.
All in all, a successful outing. Maybe I could even go to an Elemental Café for a while.
We teleported directly into my kitchen and I dumped everything on the table before starting to put the groceries away.
As I did so, I mulled something over quickly.
"System," I called once I was done. "Could you give me access to a training room? So that I can test what I learned in the Core Partition?"
[System Notification: Request acknowledged. Training room assignment confirmed. Teleport now?]
Wow. Amazing.
"Yes!" I said. "Penguin too."
[System Notification: Request acknowledged. Training environment ready. Relocation in 3… 2… 1…]